Garden design tips category < back
New design and build process
21st Feb:
We have continued over the last few months to improve and fine tune our design and build service. We are really seeing the benefits that a thorough design process brings, both in terms of planning from our end and with regard to managing our client’s expectations. Experience is a wonderful thing and over the years we have learnt what information and questions are key in order for us to create the right design for each client. The clearer and more detailed the information at the beginning the more exceptional the garden will be at the end.
We can now provide a range of drawings from simple line drawings to 3 dimensional drawings which go a long way to helping our clients visualise the proposed garden and to see where their money is being spent. This visual aid is very useful in ironing out any issues prior to the build starting; one person’s mind’s eye picture can be very different from the next.
As a design AND build landscaping company we can overcome various issues that some garden designers and their separate contractors encounter. We are there at the inception of your dream garden so therefore understand the journey that had been taken and what your likes and dislikes are which means its quick and easy to deal with any issues.
With 50% of our design fee being waived if we build our designs too, we try to ensure the whole process from initial enquiry, through the design, planning and building stages, is as straight forward and pain free as possible. (And of course don’t forget our maintenance service too!).
Something to do this weekend – Serpentine Gallery Pavillion
6th Oct:
You have until the 18th October to visit this year’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. Step away from the hustle and bustle of London, a garden within a garden.
“The concept for this year’s Pavilion is the hortus conclusus, a contemplative room, a garden within a garden. One enters the building from the lawn and begins the transition into the central garden, a place abstracted from the world of noise and traffic and the smells of London – an interior space within which to sit, to walk, to observe the flowers.”
http://www.serpentinegallery.org/2011/04/serpentine_gallery_pavillion_2011_zumthor.html
Inside Out
28th Jun:
Bespoke outdoor cushions – We have a skilled cushion maker who makes up weatherproof cushions in outdoor material to any size and thickness depending on your needs. The specialist fabric is able to withstand most weather conditions except heavy and prolonged rain. There is a wide range of materials to chose, from neutral creams and beige to stripes and patterns. Try scatter cushions in bright accent colours to add some drama to your garden or revive your existing outdoor seating with new covers.
BBQ & Outdoor Entertaining – though we are a huge fan of the traditional charcoal BBQ there are more and more options available to us these days. Firepits, pizza ovens, and built in BBQ’s create a focal point for entertaining and can also give the men a dedicated spot in the garden as well! To help with the manly job of cooking, why not include an outdoor fridge? We were asked to redevelop a garden on Walton Street and one of the specifications was to include an outdoor fridge. This can be the perfect place to store all your drinks for summer especially when the kitchen fridge is over flowing with salads, a place where wine and beer is the priority!
Feature in SW Magazine
21st Jun:
This month we have an article in Londons SW Magazine talking about top tips for your garden in July, looking at seating, planting, material choice, lighting and garden features. To see this article on line or receive a hard copy of the magazine go to www. http://sw.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Chelsea Flower Show
31st May:
Press Day tickets at Chelsea Flower.
What a luxury. No heaving queues, no standing on tip-toes to see over a mass of purple rinses and camera phones, no jostling for position to get a view of the show gardens. Simply a relaxing walk around (and through) all the gardens, stands and stalls of Chelsea Flower Show 2011.
At first glance the show seemed much the same as year’s gone before; the same suppliers, the same contractors, the same designers (they really are forming quite a clique……..one day!!) consistently impressive bulging, billowing planting schemes, and mind boggling feats of installation. However….to summarise this year’s show as “the same as last year” would not only show me up as someone who didn’t have much insight into our profession, it would also do a disservice to the amazing amount of hardwork and talent that is required to create these one off masterpieces.
The ability of all involved to create in a matter of days (not withstanding all the work off site and months of prep. however) what we at Harrington Porter attempt to construct over several weeks, is what continues to impress me each year. Planting that looks as if it’s been there for years, huge trees up to 6 or 7 metres carted in for dramatic effect, water-wheels, tree stumps, horrendously expensive hand cut stone, swimming pools, and other installations that for one week look, in their own orchestrated environment, that they have been there for years.
So what of this year’s flower show in particular? Our signature style at Harrington Porter is that of the contemporary urban garden. And evidence of this, blinkered or not, is what I look for each year and what impresses me most. And for this reason my choice for best in show was Trailfinders Australian Garden presented by Fleming’s Nurseries designed by Ian Barker. Read more about the Australian Garden here. I loved the futuristic feature seating, the combination of stone and paving, and the stunning white/silver/evergreen planting scheme. The huge water feature pond isn’t really conducive to your typical London garden, but everything else really worked for me. The balance of entertaining space vs planting vs features made it a garden that could genuinely be used – a garden that could realistically be built for someone.
That leads me on to my choice for worst in show. Dirmaund Gavin’s sky garden. Totally indulgent, totally unrealistic, and distinctly average unless you were allowed to go up in the floating garden. Which I wasn’t. I’d guess this creation cost twice as much as most other show gardens, it was certainly twice the size, and whilst it highlighted everything flamboyant and extravagant about Chelsea, personally I thought it was a bit of a dud.
The other garden that really stood out for me was Luciano Giubbilei’s Laurent Perrier garden. This is a designer who’s style I love, and copy! and it was the garden that I had done some background research in to. His style is one of symmetry, clean lines and order, off-set with beautiful features, block planting, and sculpture. And this year’s garden for which he won another gold medal was stunning. I think I’d expected something more formal and architectural with regards to the planting, but he did this with the hard landscaping and softened things with the most beautiful flowing low lying planting. Classic signature features were on show – under-cut feature shrubs, in this case Parrotia persica, beech hedging, and linear Cedec pathway revealing his typically Italianate style. See more of Luciano’s designs here.
Trends that our keen eyes at Harrington Porter noticed this year were:
Green / Living Walls
Water – all manner of shapes, sizes and features
Curves with planting and hard landscaping
Cornus kousa
Vegetable and herb gardening
Green roofs
Blue and yellow planting
Enjoy the fruits of your labour
26th May:
Pear, plums, fig, medlar, cherry and peach can all thrive in a London garden. You need to consider what size your tree will grow to in order to choose the right tree for your sized garden. A good way to use a small space is to train a tree along a wall or fence. As well as giving decorative cover the wall/fence soaks up the heat of the sun and helps ripen the fruit.
In addition to size, you need to consider when the tree fruits. Different types of trees fruit at different times of the year, early ripening trees tend not to do so well but varieties that ripen later can produce well and can even give you fruit to store over the winter.
If growing a harvest is not your goal and the trees are more about decoration, simply chose the tree that you prefer the look of.
Planting your tree
Ideally you need to place your tree in a sunny sheltered position of the garden, this will encourage the fruit to ripen, if it is purely for decorative means the tree can go anywhere in your garden.
To protect your fruit tree we suggest you apply a grease band at about 45cm above the soil level to both the tree trunk and the steak supporting your tree. This will help especially with moths which will eat the fruit (and your clothes as many Londoners have been finding over the last couple of years!).
In order for your tree to flourish its important to prune at the appropriate time and if you have one of the decorative styles, for example a pleached tree its important to keep it well trained.
Pleaching is a technique used to train trees into raised hedges. They can be cleverly used to create some effective screening, allowing you more privacy in your garden. Read more about this technique here.
Espalier is an ancient style of controlling the plant by pruning and tying so the branches grow in flat planes. As well as for decoration this can also be good for a garden with limited space. Read more about this technique here.
Fan trained trees consist of a short clear stem of about 18 inches and a set of branches above this arranged to form a fan shape. The shape is brought about by pruning and training. This can be an excellent way to grow fruit trees that need warmth and can be placed on a south facing wall.
Outdoor rooms
3rd May:
We have had some glorious sunny days, lawns have had their first cut and Spring is definitely here. So NOW is the time to start planning how to get the best out of your garden, terrace or balcony. The trend for the outdoor room – a garden that is an extension of your living space – continues at a pace and more and more clients are looking to compliment their interiors with built in seating, trendy lighting, outdoor heaters and paint colours to match their indoors. Here we are going to look at different ways of how YOU can create your own.
Focal Seating Areas
A seating area is a key aspect of your outdoor room, a place to congregate, relax and entertain. What better way is there to make use of your garden than relaxing with friends and family.
Garden furniture. From affordable, all weather outdoor sofas for lounging – Ibizian style, through to a 2 person bistro set for coffee. Make this the focal point of your garden, positioned in sun or shade as you wish. Surround with pots or planting to give a sense of place and style.
Floating bench – a trendy way to create seating in your garden. They can be built simply and at a low cost, but can give your garden that “wow” factor especially with a few recessed LED lights.
Built in sofas. Base the construction of raised beds or the shape of decking or paving around the size of pre-bought garden furniture to give it a permanent place. If you use this as one or two sides of seating around a table then you add individual chairs when you have extra guests.
Outdoor Lighting
From fully installed spike lights running off mains power to a few well placed storm lanterns or battery operated fairy lights.
Light up feature trees, plants or pots – considering views from your house so your garden can be enjoyed even in Winter.
Outdoor eating
As outdoor living becomes more and more popular so does al fresco cooking. Ideas and methods for built in kitchens and BBQ’s are making their way over from places like Australia (below is a 3D design of a built in BBQ that we are currently installing for a client) with fireplaces and firepits becoming readily available. Simplified – create a permanent place for your free standing BBQ with a raised bed or some pots and plant up with herbs for your cooking.
Pots and plants
The clever use of contemporary planters and plants is one of the easiest ways to transform your garden, creating a stylish modern look. You MUST use quality compost and ensure there is drainage (holes in the bottom and broken pots or stones)in your pots, otherwise your smart evergreen Box balls will soon be brown!! Buying plants for pots is not something that should be done annually!!
Gareth’s tips for March
14th Feb:
Jobs for the month of March
1. Prune! Prune, prune, prune… Roses, Wisteria, fruit trees, climbers, all deciduous shrubs. Nice and hard – the secret is to ‘treat them mean, keep them keen.’ Do not be hesitant or nervous, just give them a hard cutting back. If in doubt – then please get in touch with us, and we can carry out such work, or offer a professional consultancy and advice service, for pruning, and all horticultural matters. Leave the evergreens alone, unless necessary – definitely avoid Box at all costs; blight is rife when cut at this time of year.
2. Lawns – get those forks in! Spike where growth is poor, and drainage is an issue. Fill in holes with lawn sand. Also get your mower serviced now ready for the spring, and check any other tools that might need sharpening or mending.
3. Think about mulching – March is the optimal time. Applying a generous layer of organic mulch onto the soil in March, will benefit your garden for the entire year.
4. Now is the time to give your garden a good spring clean. Get everything cleared up now – all leaves and debris etc…
5. Plant any summer flowering bulbs before it is too late. March is really the last opportunity to get them in the ground.
6. Start protecting any new spring shoots from slugs by putting down any slug pellets etc now.
7. If you are thinking of transplanting any trees or shrubs do it now while they are still dormant and therefore less likely to go into shock.
8. Fertilise and trees and shrubs preferably with a slow release fertiliser.
9. Weeding your garden well now will save a lot of time later on in the year.
10. Fix any fencing or other structures before they become covered in plants again as it will make your life a lot easier and the job quicker.
Garden design and build at Harrington porter
20th Jan:
It has been another long but enjoyable year for the Harrington Porter landscaping team. We have built several really exciting garden projects and in advance of an update of our portfolio, please see a selection of photos below. We have built a number of stylish, contemporary outdoor “rooms” with a common trend of artificial lawns, floating benches, uplighting, low maintenance planting and rendered planters. The design of these spaces has been considered with the increasingly popular concept of all year round outdoor entertaining in mind, with outdoor heaters, firepits, and lighting, meaning that it doesn’t have to be mid-summer to use your garden anymore.
